


Kintsukuroi

by vix_spes



Series: Even Broken Things Deserve To Be Loved [3]
Category: Hannibal Extended Universe - Fandom, Jagten | The Hunt (2012), Shooting Dogs (2005)
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hannibal Extended Universe, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-11
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-03-03 16:43:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13345296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vix_spes/pseuds/vix_spes
Summary: In the wake of Joe's return, things haven't been quite right between himself and Lucas. A trip away could solve everything with their relationship.





	Kintsukuroi

**Author's Note:**

  * For [HotSauce418](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HotSauce418/gifts).



> Written the delightful Hotty, who requested some LuConnor

Joe shivered as he made his way into the cabin, knocking his boots against the wrap-around porch to get the worst of the snow off them. He felt cold to the bone, almost as though he would never get warm again and he’d barely been outside for a few hours. He remembered a few white Christmas’ from when he was a kid, the kind where they would get enough to build a snowman, maybe go sledding a couple of times but they were nothing like this. Then again, that had been Christmas in England as opposed to Scandinavia.

It had been four months since Joe had returned from his ill-advised trip and, while things weren’t quite what they had been prior to the summer, they were getting there. Joe had apologised, and Lucas had not only accepted his apology but forgiven him, yet he had been – and still was – completely and utterly wracked with guilt over the way that he had treated his lover. They had taken a couple of weeks once Joe returned for him to acclimatise but then they had returned to work and had been working ever since with the exception of the mid-term break, which they had spent holed up in their flat. So, when Lucas had suggested Christmas somewhere in Scandinavia with Marcus - and later Brunn - Joe had jumped at the opportunity. So, that was precisely what they had done. Lucas and Brunn had made all the arrangements and hired a cabin big enough for the four of them far enough north that they would be guaranteed snow for the holiday season. 

Lucas and Joe had had a week once term finished to get their classrooms sorted and to decompress from work; the first term was often a long one and incredibly busy in the lead up to Christmas, meaning that by the end of it, teachers often felt as though they were doing little more than treading water. At the end of that time – and with some last-minute Christmas shopping done – they were on their way. Joe and Lucas had flown to Stockholm, where they had met up with Marcus and Brunn before a second flight to the much smaller airport of Östersund. There, they had picked up the hire car and driven to the cabin that Brunn had found. Joe knew that he must have been horribly rude by not making conversation with the others, but his eyes had been glued to the landscape going past the window; he’d never seen so much snow!!

To Joe’s relief, the week that they had been joined by Marcus and Brunn had gone well, far better than Joe had expected. Marcus and Joe had met before – Marcus had spent New Years with them in Montreux before Joe’s ill-thought summer trip and Joe and Lucas had spent a long weekend in Copenhagen, with Marcus travelling to meet them – but he’d only ever met Lucas’ best friend over Skype. He knew that Brunn was supportive of their relationship and that he thought Joe was good for Lucas but, even so, Joe had been nervous. In the end, his nerves had been completely unfounded. Brunn was a delight to be around, jovial and willing to ease any possible tension by teasing both Lucas and Marcus. There had been the odd moment of awkwardness, but that had been to be expected and was limited to the evenings as they spent the daytime hours outside.

Christmas itself had just been the three of them – Brunn having left to spend the time with his own family – and was a blend of English and Danish traditions, with so much food that it bordered on the obscene. The presents that Joe and Lucas had picked out had been well-received and, for the most part, the quartet had spent their time stuffed from too much good food and drink, playing board games. Marcus had left a couple of days after Christmas, citing a need to get back to spend some time with his mum, leaving Lucas and Joe alone in the cabin. Joe was sad to see them go but, at the same time, he was eager for it just to be himself and Lucas once more. Ever since his summer sojourn, Joe had seen a resurgence in his nightmares and, not wanting Marcus and Brunn to find out, had taken to not sleeping until he absolutely couldn’t stay awake any longer in the hope that exhaustion would help him sleep through. Given that they had dropped Marcus back at Östersund airport that afternoon, Joe knew that Lucas was going to want to talk. Given that it was just the two of them in the cabin for the next week with even more snow forecast, there was going to be plenty of time for that.

The cabin was freezing when Joe made it inside so, knowing that Lucas was restocking the wood basket for the fire, he headed for the bedroom and the stack of woollen jumpers that Lucas had brought with him, all of them slightly too big for Joe but, most importantly, ridiculously warm and cosy and smelling of Lucas. Feeling slightly warmer, Joe meandered into the kitchen. They’d eaten dinner on the way home from the airport, but he felt the need to combat the chill with a hot drink and there was nothing better than hot chocolate the way that Lucas had taught him to make. He’d chopped the chocolate and was half-way through heating the milk when he heard the door slam and the unmistakeable sound of Lucas getting a fire going. Joe had just finished mixing the chocolate into the hot milk and pouring a generous slug of amaretto into each mug when he heard the tell-tale crackle that said Lucas had ben successful with the fire.

Gathering up both mugs, he moved through to where Lucas sat before the fire, stoking it occasionally to encourage it to keep growing, and handed over one of the mugs as he slumped at Lucas’ side. He didn’t have to wait any time at all before Lucas’ arm was wrapped around him, drawing Joe as close to his body as physically possible.

“Are you still cold, skat?”

“Hmm? No, I’m starting to warm up. The chocolate and you are helping.” Joe stared into the flickering flames for a while, sipping his doctored hot chocolate and taking comfort in the warmth and strength of Lucas’ body pressed next to his. Finally, not completely confident but knowing that he needed to say it, he spoke. “Do you think we’ll ever get back to what we were before … you know.”

Lucas took so long to answer that Joe’s skin started to crawl. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that Lucas’ arm did not loosen in the slightest and for the way that he turned his face into the crown of Joe’s head, breathing in his scent and pressing a kiss to his temple as he pulled away to cup Joe’s face in his hands.

“Ah, min elskede. How long have you been worrying yourself about this?”

Joe chewed on his lip, pondering his answer before he finally acknowledged that he had to be honest if he wanted them to move past this. “Since the day after I came back. I’m sorry!”

Lucas’ response was to set their mostly drunk hot chocolate on the tiles at the side of the hearth before bodily tugging Joe into his lap. “Why did you not say anything, min kære? We could have discussed it.” He wrapped his arms tightly around Joe, almost too tightly but Joe didn’t protest. “Truthfully – and I hesitate to say this, because I know it will inevitably hurt you – but I don’t think we can go back to what we were. Your lack of thought towards my feelings, towards our relationship hurt deeper than I think you realise. You made me feel as though I was not enough for you. I was hurt, and I was angry. But, and this is the important thing,” Lucas’ thumbs wiped away the tears that had started to spill down Joe’s cheeks, “none of that means I lied to you when you returned. I have never doubted the sincerity of your apology or your regret over your actions; I forgave you for what you did, and I still love you with all my heart.”

Joe let out a broken sob at Lucas’ words, the words hard to hear, just as Lucas had said. He couldn’t deny the truth of them though. He sniffled as Lucas continued talking. “So, no. I don’t believe that our relationship will not be what it was. However, it can be something better, something stronger. We have acknowledged what went wrong, what was done badly and, it may not be forgotten, but it is part of our history not our future. We can build a stronger relationship on its foundations. What do you think to that, kæreste?”

Joe was sobbing too much to speak coherently but he nodded furiously, pressing increasingly salty butterfly kisses to Lucas’ face before his lips were claimed in a far more passionate kiss. Slightly overwrought from the onslaught of emotions, Joe pulled back, sniffling slightly as he scrubbed at his face and the rapidly drying tear tracks. “Yes, yes. I’m sorry, I love you.” Joe gasped as he was tumbled backwards onto the rug.

“I know, I love you too. No more apologies, you’re forgiven. It’s in the past, we move on now, ja?”

“Yes, we move on. To something stronger.” Joe felt the anxiety that had been hanging over him for the last four months evaporating, his tears drying and his heart feeling lighter than it had been in a long time. A tremor ran down his spine and he knew that Lucas had felt it when he pulled back, concern written all over his face.

“Joe? Are you still cold? You’re shivering.”

“I’m fine, I promise. Besides, you can always keep me warm.” Joe looked up at Lucas with his best coy look and bedroom eyes, feeling his libido stir for the first time in a long time. He and Lucas had been intimate since Joe’s return, albeit mostly kissing and snuggling, but there had been something lacking that had been there before. Now, it would appear that all Joe had needed was this release of emotion. Now, as trite as it may seem, he could think of nothing better than Lucas making love to him in front of the blazing fire. Judging by the smile that slowly spread across Lucas’ face, a look in his eyes that Joe knew all too well – and loved -, Lucas didn’t find it trite at all.

Threading his hands through Lucas’ hair, Joe spared a minute to admire the way that the firelight brought gold and silver highlights to it, as well as lending Lucas’ eyes an amber hue behind his glasses. Bringing their lips together using his grip on the feathery strands, Joe leant backwards until he was laid on his back, tugging Lucas down to cover him bodily. Sliding one hand back to cup Lucas’ neck, Joe poured every emotion that he could into their kiss; his regret, his gratitude and, most importantly, the overwhelming love that he felt for Lucas.

The sex that followed was unlike anything that they had shared before. That wasn’t to say that their sex life had been bad or that it had been lacking in any way. No, it was just that with everything put behind them, it felt like a new start. Lucas’ lips brushed over his and Joe gave a breathy little moan. To Joe’s delight, Lucas responded by pressing Joe more into the rug, taking control of the kiss and slowing it down from the frantic pace of the kisses that Joe had initiated to something slower, more languorous. The two of them relished in the leisurely pace, revelling in the feeling of lips sliding together, of tongues tangling together and the gentle nips that Lucas delivered to Joe’s full bottom lip.

Joe whined low at the back of his throat when Lucas stood and disappeared, but he wasn’t gone for long before he returned, this time with a small tube of lubricant in hand. Joe watched, unable to resist the temptation of reaching down and taking himself in hand, as Lucas summarily stripped before dropping to his knees and blanketing Joe with his body once more. He was torn between trying to pull his own clothes off so that he could get skin on skin contact or letting his hands roam over Lucas’ exposed flesh. In the end, Lucas made the decision for him, hands sliding up his torso beneath his jumper to skate over his ribs and brushing across Joe’s nipples.

Joe moaned loudly as bare skin brushed against bare skin, allowing himself to be pulled into the curve of Lucas’ body, the older man half-blanketing him. He arched up, chest brushing against Lucas’, able to feel the heat of the flames, even as the firelight flickered over them. It was a good job that they were now alone, given the noises that were escaping from Joe’s throat as Lucas’ hands played him like a fine instrument. Joe moaned, letting his thighs fall apart widely as he felt two slick fingers at his entrance, preparing him. As Lucas slid into him to the hilt, Joe wrapped himself around Lucas, undulating against him. With their previous conversation heightening their emotions, it didn’t take too long for the two of them to reach their peak, Joe shouting in ecstasy as Lucas groaned his release into Joe’s neck.

Joe mewled as Lucas withdrew from him and gave them both a cursory clean with his discarded t-shirt, but went to him willingly enough when Lucas lay down on his back, nestling up to his side and using his shoulder as a pillow, fingers tangling in Lucas’ chest hair as they always did. He relaxed, a happy sigh escaping his lips. He was perfectly content if they spent the rest of the night out here; he had no real interest in moving ever, even though he knew that if would be necessary eventually.

He and Lucas had been broken when they had found each other and, by falling in love, they had managed to put each other back together again. Of course, Joe had managed to shatter everything by disappearing off but now, finally, he felt as though they had not only managed to rebuild the shattered pieces but, in doing so, made it into something stronger.

**Author's Note:**

> If you would prefer to comment on DW, you can do so [here](https://vix-spes.dreamwidth.org/293544.html)
> 
> If you'd like to share to post on Tumblr, you can do so [here](http://vix-spes.tumblr.com/post/169595789420/kintsukuroi-vixspes-jagten-the-hunt-2012)


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